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Writer With A Bad Hair Day Can't Take Criticisms

Don't worry too much about criticism. It builds character. I used to beat myself over the head all the time whenever someone thought badly about what I was doing or did.
Here are the type of thoughts that enters my head whenever someone said something bad about me (or something even REMOTELY bad or just something that is not COMPLETELY positive)

'I am not good enough', 'I am terrible at this', 'OK, Great. Now, everyone hates me' or 'Gee thanks, that was a lot of help!'

But here's the thing about criticism that I have not learned from my parents, not learned from my friends but I have learned about accepting cricticism through my business. Hey, bad things happen, alright? No matter how good a freelance writer or online social networking consultant I think I am, there are bad hair days that turns into bad mood days which, in turn, turns into just BAD DAYS. And on those bad days, I can't perform. 

















 Woman Bad Hair Day Image



When I can't perform, several things will happen.


  1. I will drink an excessive amount of coffee





  2. I go to the loo more often







  3. I get all stressed out and can't think







  4. I stop answering my phone







  5. I berate my keyboard for being stucky (some keys get stuck when you angrily punch at them all the time or if there is a touch of spilt stout from last week in there)







  6. My articles start to suck BIG TIME







  7. My clients will be unhappy







  8. My clients will CRITICIZE or point me in the right direction







  9. I get into a bad mood







  10. Start at number one again



     One of the things that we have to learn through our business is that those people who 'points you in the right direction' spent probably two days trying to come up with the 'right way' to tell you that something is wrong.



It pains them as much as it pains you because they want to get things done right and your hairstyle (the bad one with runaway split ends) is ruining things. But they don't want to hurt your feelings so they sit there trying to come up with a script.

And whaddya know, the script doesn't work if you take it personally.


Look, on the business side of things, nothing is ever personal. If you wish to take on your friends, family or (insert loud gasp) husband/wife as a client, taking cricticism too seriously will ruin not only the business relationship but also the relationship.


Here's a good one-liner that you can use whenever someone gives you constructive criticism (in a nice way).


'Hey, I think that article you wrote yesterday wasn't really....there. I need more PUNCH.'
(You're having a bad hair day and you want to deliver that punch. To the face. But you say...)
'Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Can you please tell me exactly what was wrong so that I can fix it?'


There. Wasn't that simple?
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